Saturday’s Class 4A quarterfinal game between Rockford Lutheran and Harvard has been moved to Swanson Stadium at Guilford High School.

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Lutheran game at Guilford

Saturday’s Class 4A quarterfinal game between Rockford Lutheran and Harvard has been moved to Swanson Stadium at Guilford High School.

Lutheran head coach Bruce Bazsali gave several reasons for the move in an email:

"We should play at a location that will benefit both teams and fans if the weather conditions turn bad as predicted for Saturday. It gives both teams the opportunity to showcase what they can do in a game of this magnitude without worrying about the field conditions.

"Playing on turf helps prepare us for future rounds and, of course, the state championship game is played on the turf at NIU. ... Finally, the turf field allows for Harvard and Lutheran’s bands, cheer and pom squads to perform while providing more seating for fans."

Undefeated Winnebago rolls on, Stillman Valley gets back to its postseason winning ways and Rockford Lutheran continues its rise to the top.

All three Big Northern Conference West Division teams have been on a mission since Day 1 of the season, and all three are knocking on the door to accomplishing their No. 1 goal. A state title in IHSA football is now just three wins away for all three — though two of them face off this weekend — and that side of the conference has never looked as powerful as it does right now.

“I think it just kind of validates what all of us around here already knew: This is a darn strong conference,” Stillman Valley 16th-year head coach Mike Lalor said. “We’re all kind of proud of this conference, and especially this side of it, right now.”

Harvard gives the conference four teams in the state quarterfinals, but only two of them will move on. While Winnebago faces off against Stillman Valley in the Class 3A quarters on Saturday, Harvard takes on Lutheran on the 4A side.

And while nobody is surprised to see that the three from the West are still alive — they were all in the top-10 rankings headed into the postseason — they’ve all taken different paths.

Cardinals

Folks around Stillman Valley (9-2) still talk about the Cardinals’ run of four state titles from 1999-2009, but Lalor believes this year may be the coming-out party for the conference. The conference has never had more than two teams in the quarterfinals, and is now assured to have two in the semis.

Battling each other throughout the regular season may have made them all better, even for Stillman Valley, which suffered losses to both.

“What helps the most is that when you play good teams like that before the playoffs, it makes your own weaknesses jump out. We’ve had time to fix a bunch of stuff because we had to battle those guys,” Lalor said. “And honestly, for all three of these teams, I’m sure we’re all better for having to prepare for one another, too. It’s just grueling getting ready for that Winnebago team. And, shoot, James Robinson himself taught us a lot about how to tackle better, and wrap up and all of that.

“We’re better because of them, no doubt.”

Only two can come out of the West, but there are plenty in Stillman Valley who believe the Cardinals once again have what it takes.

“It’s that same feel as it’s always been here,” running bqack Zac Hare said after bullying for over 100 yards in both playoff games this year. “Every guy out here feels like we should win every game we step out onto the field to play.”

Page 2 of 2 - Indians

Winnebago’s football players have felt slighted for awhile — standing in the shadow of Stillman Valley in the past, while taking a back seat to talk of Lutheran’s Robinson and his gaudy numbers.

But this year it’s been different. The Indians secured the conference title, set a school record for wins (11), and mowed down previously-state-ranked Kankakee McNamara last weekend, 27-12, to reach their first quarterfinal.

Winnebago knocked off Stillman Valley 26-20 in the regular-season finale, snapping a 17-year losing streak to the Cardinals. Now it’s hard to tell if the Indians are getting a shot at back-to-back wins, or if the Cardinals are getting a shot at redemption.

“We’re pretty excited that it’s come down to this,” Winnebago head coach Mark Helm said. “But so are they.”

Crusaders

Lutheran has done a lot more than just knock off Stillman Valley this year. The Crusaders set a school record for wins (10), have gone farther than ever in the playoffs, and last week held off Rochelle, a school that was three classes higher than them last year.

And they are not just the Robinson Show, even though his 2,360 yards rushing and 41 TDs on the ground are extremely impressive numbers. He’s just 61 yards shy of breaking into the top-20 for all-time, single-season rushing performances in the state.

Crusader quarterback Kendall Lawson has climbed up to No. 3 in passing in the area, throwing for 1,760 yards with 18 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

“For us, it’s definitely a pride thing,” Crusader head coach Bruce Bazsali said. “It used to be Lutheran was like a JV game on the schedule. We’ve come a long way.

“We now belong in this league, and this deep in the playoffs. All of us do.”

And over the next three weeks, the trio of BNC West powers can take the conference to a whole nother next level — well, two of them can.